Prideful
by WolfSinKyros
Summary: Van Helsing never seems to be able to remember anything, and if he did would he believe it? Dracula comes back, with a bonus that he is more like his good old self. VHD Drabriel Whatever-it's slash!
1. Dreaming The Memories

_W.S.K. here. Hi, ok so this is my first story. Wish me luck, just some info on it:_

**Title:** Prideful

**Pairing:** Dracula/Gabriel

**Rating:** T (Slash, yaoi, possible cussing, limes)

**Chapter 01 Dreaming The Memories**

"Gabriel...Why the sad face?"

"I...I'm sorry"

A chuckle. Then:

"For what? You've done nothing wrong?

"...For..."

"Gabriel, what's wrong?" Came the serious reply, laced with worry.

"..For this."

"Gabriel-" The voice was cut off. A sickening noise could be heard as cold steel entered and exited flesh. Slicing through the beating core of the man.

Blood trickled freely out of the wound.

"Gabriel...Why?" His voice broke and he fell back, his gaze locked on his lover, whose eyes betrayed their emotions-pain, grief, sorrow, and guilt. The other man fell to his knees and held the fallen one close, the apologies were endless.

The fallen looked to the sky, his gaze scanning over the clouds, as the sun watched over him unmercifully. He could taste blood in his mouth, a flavor he had grown to hate over the years.

He wouldn't find out until later that blood would become his essence in which he would depend on. Not to forget that it would also be the last time he would ever be able to lie so freely under the sun.

His gaze went back to his lover's tear streaked face. He asks "Why?" but he already knew.

The Order.

The Order 'ordered' Gabriel to do this.

'Ha', he thought. Even in his last moments of life he found himself smiling internally, amused at the irony of that statement.

But the smile faded.

Gabriel...

...I don't blame him.

It's not his fault.

With the last of his strength he took off his ring, and held it in front of his lover's-Gabriel's eyes.

"I still...love you" the fallen said weakly.

As Gabriel's hand came up to grasp the offered one, it fell lifelessly, leaving the shinning ring in the palm of his hand...

_A/N And yes I know, I didn't do the whole "cut the finger off" thing but if you really watched the movie you would see that the finger is there in the beginning of the movie and at the very end. Thank you anyways, tell me what you think, and please no flames, my self-esteem has enough issues without people breathing their criticism done my neck..._

_Oh and by the way this story is based off a poem I wrote that also comes with a statement I made. It will be posted after I finish the story._


	2. The Deepest Sadness

_Man I feel pathetic, it may be my first story but seriously, I hate it when I find mistakes in my own writing and it's even more embarrassing to only notice them once it has been POSTED ON THE INTERNET!...So anyways, yea, just a word of caution, Dracula is a bit mopy and moody in my story, but you will basically find out why later in the story, like way later most likely. (P.S. He is NOT PMSing). Besides I think it's cute to imagine a Dracula being sad because his Gabriel is out of his reach :P._

**Chapter 02 The Deepest Sadness**

Van Helsing woke with a start.

He'd been having that dream more and more often lately. Each time the dream seemed to get more detail and look clearer. Even the emotions would come back to him and drill a hole in his heart, leaving him in an entranced, broken state of mind.

Unfortunately, he was never able to see the face of the other man.

But this time he had seen the ring, and got a full view of it.

It was the very same ring he wore now.

It was Dracula's ring.

"Or so he claimed," he muttered to himself.

"Or so who claims what?"

Van Helsing turned to see his traveling partner, Wolffé, nursing the fire next to them. Her good eye was trained on him.

Wolffé was a nice young woman with a constantly sarcastic humor. Her eyes were a dull gray, but her right had a crude 'X' over it that went just a few millimeters out of the rim of the iris. It always appeared to be moving...When he asked her why she responded, "Well, ya see how it's a red color right? That's cuz it's filled with blood, and blood flows. Or at least that's what the healer said. I dunno, guess it never healed right or somthin'." When he had asked her what happened, she said, "This is what happens when you get lazy 'round a southern vampire," a lopsided grin would be on her face. It did explain why she wore the silver-metal patch over it though, ("Keeps the vampires 'way from it!"), but it didn't explain why she'd get a blurry, black-and-white vision back in her eye on some random nights.

It didn't matter to him though. She was interesting company, and a good negotiator, peaceful or aggressive. Oddly enough, despite past experiences with vampires, she held no grudges, and with a full heart believed that some vampires deserve second chances.

Which was why she was on this mission anyways. They were to 'negotiate' with a group of vampires that had been terrorizing a town near Transylvania, the job was to convince them to quiet down or to exterminate them on spot.

But on the bright side, or the dark side (depending on how you look at it), they were currently camped, maybe a quarter mile away from a lake, on which the other side was considered Transylvania. How convenient.

But anyways back to the problem at hand.

"Oh, nothing," Van Helsing, "I must be still waking up."

"Of course," came her lazy reply.

"..." Van Helsing turned his head towards her, "You don't believe me do you?"

"Not in the least, but hey your dreams are your business."

She smirked at him, then quickly, she got up with a, "Well, let's keep movin' then, don't waste the moonlight", and with a swift movement poured water over the fire from a strange sack. "I'm lucky that lake's near by, or I'd be havin' to spit it out or somthin', maybe stomp it out..."

"You went and got water from the lake! What, did you just leave me here asleep?"

"Nooo of course not! I carried you the whole bloody way there, filled up the sack, and then carried you the whole bloody way back with the sack, too!" She feigned dramatics as she stood there with one fist on her hip and her other hand pushing her hair back behind her ears.

With the campfire gone, the only source of light came from the moon. Unfortunately or fortunately, the moon was behind her, so Van Helsing couldn't see any facial expressions.

But he knew Wolffé would just be giving him one of her trademark expressions. Like a smirk or a cocked eyebrow, for example.

"Christ, Helsing," she shook her head, the hair fell back in front of her ears, "I told you I was goin' to get water from the lake," she pushed the hair back again. "When I came back you were dozin' right where you're sittin' now!"

"Yea, it's starting to come back to me."

"Good thing, too. Next thing I know you ain't even gonna 'member my name."

"It isn't as if you remember mine."

"What? D'you give me a fake name or somethin'."

"No, you just keep calling me 'Helsing', its Van Helsing."

"But Van Helsing makes you sound like Von Helsing, and then it just makes me think it's Dutch or German...Maybe...Not that I've got anythin' against them, but you don't exactly catch me as a Dutch or German Nobleman..."

"...Thanks?..."

"Maybe more like a British Nobleman, or no!-an American Nobleman!"

"No...Wait...American's don't got any nobles...I think-"

Van Helsing looked down, shaking his head, but he could help the smile that crept onto his face.

"Oh, whatever! You're no fun...Well let's go! I'll get everything packed up, you go and patrol or somethin', and don't you fall asleep again either, ya hear me Helsing?"

"Yea I hear..." Van Helsing replied, "and it's Van Helsing!" He yelled over his shoulder as he left camp.

"Whatever!" He could hear her laughing.

Little did they know they were being watched...

With longing in his eyes, he watched the two converse.

As their conversation grew silent, he saw Gabriel leave camp while the girl continued to rummage about.

Deciding that he could track them again later, he walked away from the edge of the cliff and continued into the forest. He would have kept walking for miles had he not seen light coming up in his face from the ground.

It was actually a lake, the moon could be seen on the surface.

"Gabriel loved the water," he whispered to himself. Walking to the edge of the lake, he looked down into the water.

He saw nothing. Where a normal person's reflection would be, he saw the stars above him. Of course it wasn't as if he was a normal person.

He was a vampire.

A resurrected vampire, to be more precise.

Even so, he could remember that night, wading out into the darkness, just to get a glance at his lover.

Looking down he could find himself falling...

Into The Deepest Sadness.

_Meanwhile..._

Back at camp, Wolffé stood leaning up against a tree.

Her gaze flew over the scenery, landing on a small, empty cliff.

The wind blew past her, unresting her hair from her ears. She pushed it back again.

"Maybe I should ask him if he's got another one of them clasp thingies 'round. Sure could use it for my hair..."

And with that she dipped her head and waited silently for Van Helsing to return.

_A/N: Okay so actually I was going to go ahead and keep writing but my hand is cramping, and the chapter is long enough for me. So..._

_Enter next chapter: Come Join Me Part 1 -- **UPDATED I CHANGED NAME OF CHAPTER**_

_What memory is Dracula remembering? (That sounds a bit likea mouthful). And what exactly does Wolffé know?_

_GREAT THANKS to my first 2 reviewers_

-HughJackmanFan  
-vlasadiusdraculasbride312

_I didn't think I'd be getting reviews so soon, if at all!_


	3. Come Join Me Part 1

_Ok so I've noticed that I am actually going insane while writing this fanfic. Like insane as in, sticky notes all over my walls, notes all over homework, I wake up in the middle of the night looking for paper because I just thought of a brilliant chapter name... Oh and by the by I did change the chapter name from Another Companion to Come Join Me Part 1. Which obviously means there will be a Part 2. My computer is being an idiot, and I have to type my fics in NotePad, (which just bugs the hell out of me for some reason), because Microsoft Word just hates me and every time I try to save, it closes the document and I lose all my writings... So NotePad it is, but because I only have a limited amount of patience with NotePad my chapters will probably not be any longer than say 2 to 3 pages maybe, (but this one's only like one because I cut the chapter in half). So anyway, yea. Enjoy, and I'll explain the whole chapter name change at the end if I remember._

**Chapter 03 Come Join Me Part 1**

Vladislaus Dracula was pissed.

"Let Me In!"

"I apologize, but we can't let you in."

"I promised I'd be there!"

"Just move. I have to see-"

'This isn't working...I'll just walk around the courtyard, maybe there's another way in...'

Once done walking around the expansive, he decided that there was no obvious way in.

Obvious that is.

He'd find a way in.

"There's not even cracks in the wall!..."

It just might take a while.

"The only open area in there is the front but that's even backed by the lake..."

Let it sink in.

He turned to look at the lake that surrounded the stage area.

"I'm going to hate swimming."

From the side next to the courtyard the lake didn't look so big. But when standing on the far side, Vladislaus noticed just how big the lake was.

'Definitely at least 50 yards or so.' He guessed.

It was starting to get dark, and the awards ceremony would begin soon. This would be his only opportunity to see Gabriel.

"And I'm going to take it."

He plunged into the icy water.

He made it about half way when he noticed that swimming in icy cold water, that was chilling him to the bone, was an extremely stupid idea.

But he was already half way, so he might as well keep going.

'It's a good thing the courtyard isn't elevated, or this would be pointless!'

Swimming the final length, he groped for the edge of the platform, and lifted himself up just enough to be comfortable, but out of sight of any guards.

Oh, and to see Gabriel, of course.

Who was currently sitting in the front row, by the way.

Vladislaus waited patiently, resting his chin on his arms, listening to several people giving speeches about the 'bravery' and the 'ability to act during pressure' of a bunch of different people he could care less about. Of course, if they were talking about Gabriel, then his attention was fully on them. He enjoyed listening to his lover's accomplishments, as much as Gabriel did of his own. It seemed natural to him.

Unfortunately, he was starting to lose feeling in his body. The water was up to his chest, there was no ground beneath him, and the water wasn't exactly getting any warmer.

So he was busy rubbing his arms and hands together, trying to get warm, when he felt eyes on him. He looked up.

Two people were looking at him.

A guy, whose name he was pretty sure was Kyba.

And a girl, whose name eluded him, but who he knew was Gabriel's friend.

But that didn't matter. He had been spotted, and that was that.

_Shit..._

_A/N: Woot! Ok I'm done for now. So anyways I changed the name of the chapter because it didn't fit what I ended up writing...It was kind of odd. I started in one direction and ended up in a completely different area._

_I noticed that in order to get the effect that I want I'm going to have a lot of memories in this story so just stick with me. I always worry about disappointing my readers, (which is why I never wrote a fic before this, but I thought I'd try anyways), so I hope I won't change peoples good opinions about this story to bad ones._

_**By the Way!! I need help with names for the group of vampires that was mentioned last chapter. I am totally pulling a blank, the names I normally come up with always seem to be those odd overly exotic names that just fit bad... PLZ Help!! Just leave it in a review, or message me or something...Thank You. I'll make sure to give you credit too, of course!**_

_Oh and _**_HughJackmanFan_**_ Gabriel isn't a vampire if that is what you're asking. Hope to see another review from you :P_


	4. Come Join Me Part 2

_So my total blunder is typed at the bottom so check that out, it's pretty odd..._

**Chapter 04 Come Join Me Part 2**

_Shit..._

He debated whether to turn back now.

The girl sat directly next to Gabriel on his left, and the guy sat next to her.

And they continued to stare; nothing on their faces gave away their intentions. Vladislaus didn't know whether they planned to tell the guards that there was someone spying from the water, or if they would just ignore him.

The guy, Kyba, looked over to the girl, whose name continued to escape him.

She stared a bit longer.

Then something like recognition crossed her face.

Now he was beginning to worry.

She smirked and turned to look at her friend, who leaned over and whispered in her ear. She merely rolled her eyes before shaking her head and whispering back.

Kyba looked uncertain at her reply, but he nodded and returned his attention back to the speaker.

Meanwhile the girl tapped Gabriel lightly on the shoulder.

He glanced over and she whispered in his ear and jerked her head in the direction of the lake.

This confused Vladislaus more than anything. There were only three main reasons she would be telling Gabriel.

One, she thought it was funny that some guy had swam fifty yards or so across a freezing cold lake just to watch an Awards Ceremony, and she decided to tell him.

Two, she had recognized him and knew he was good friends with Gabriel, so she thought to tell him.

Or three, she knew they were more than 'just friends', and thought that Gabriel would want to know he was there.

He hoped it was one of the first two.

Gabriel's eyes widened.

...But for some reason he had a feeling it wasn't.

Gabriel looked over in his direction, searching the surface of the water.

Their gazes locked.

Then three things happened.

Gabriel smiled.

Some idiot in the back row who had fallen asleep fell out of his chair.

The ceremony ended.

Most people started exiting while the few behind were checking on the guy who fell out of his chair, which in turn, served to be a good enough distraction for Gabriel to sneak over.

"What are you doing here?" He whispered, he was happy though.

Behind Gabriel he could see the one girl standing next to her chair. She smiled slightly at them and then turned around and headed towards the archway, where she left with that Kyba guy.

"I _promised_ I'd be here."

"Yea but what are you doing in the lake?"

"Guards wouldn't let me in."

"...Aren't you cold?"

"Yea, the water _is_ quite cold."

"Well get out you'll get sick-"

"I can't. The guards will see me if I leave through the arch."

Gabriel was silent for a moment, obviously thinking.

"...Can you make it back across the lake?"

"Yea, it's not like I have any other option."

"Okay, I'll meet you over there, alright?"

"Alright."

He started swimming back while Gabriel exited the courtyard and started running for the other side of the lake.

He was standing there waiting for him by the time he made it to the shore.

They started the trek back to Gabriel's room.

"_Why_ did you _do_ that?" Gabriel asked as they were walking.

"I promised you, remember?"

Silence passed.

"...You know, if you hadn't said that I'd be calling you an idiot right now."

"Yes, well..."

They reached the door.

"On second thought, I'm still gonna call you an idiot..._Idiot_."

They walked inside, and Gabriel went in search of towels.

"But you're _my_ idiot, Vlad." He said when he came back.

'Vlad' chuckled, "Always," was his reply.

"Good," he threw him the towels, "you're getting the floor wet. Go take a shower and warm up."

"A shower..." He walked over to the bathroom door. "Hey Gabriel?"

"Yes?"

"Come join me?" He held an arm out invitingly.

Gabriel smiled, "I don't see why not," and walked over into his lover's embrace and captured his lips in a passionate kiss.

Clothes were discarded, and through kisses and roaming hands, they made it slowly into the bathroom. Closing the door behind them.

Leaves rustled.

Dracula looked over. He saw Gabriel come out of the trees and walk over to the edge of the lake.

The man was staring at his ring.

Dracula stood slowly and watched him, frozen in place. He knew he should leave but he couldn't move. It had been so long since he had been able to see him up close.

While he remained unseen for now, he knew it wouldn't last long. He the other would notice his surroundings eventually.

"Oy, Van Helsing!"

The voice broke him from his trance. He remembered all the trees around him, and took his opportunity to take advantage of his vampiric abilities and 'shift over' from next to the lake, to in a tree, where he could watch them safely.

"Yes Wolffé?" He sounded tired.

"I finished gettin' everthin' together, but go 'n check to make sure I got all ya stuff, too." She smiled, "It'd be a pity to have to come all the way back."

"Alright," he started heading back.

When he saw his partner make no move to follow, he turned around.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Nah, I'm gonna fill up the sack again."

"Hah, okay. You're carrying it though."

She raised an eyebrow, "never said I wasn't."

A smile graced his lips and he laughed lightly, "I know." Then he disappeared behind the trees.

When she saw that he was long gone, she turned around and crossed her arms and gazed across the lake. A pensive was look on her face.

"...Hehe," she shook her head, "I know you're there."

Dracula's mouth twitched, _'What?..."_

"I guess I could imagine why, though."

She stooped down and slowly filled her little sack.

"I just saved yer ass back there. You know he woulda spotted ya just standin' there."

_'She saw me...'_

"...And I have a feelin' you don't want him to see you yet."

_'What does she want?'_

"Hm...Well, I 'member you, alright. But I'm curious to know," she stood up, tying the sack shut, "whether you 'member me."

She turned and looked straight in the direction of his tree.

His eyes narrowed, he sat absolutely still, daring the branch beneath his feet to creak.

Receiving no reply, she started back towards camp.

"_Oh, whatever._"

He watched her until she became completely enveloped in the shadow of the trees.

"Yea, I remember you," he whispered, "...Seryba."

_A/N: I don't know if anyone noticed but I got three chapters up today! And that would be because I am an idiot, and tried to plot out what would happen in every chapter. It basically looked like this:_

**Chapter #: Insert Name**

**Summary: blah blah blah**

_So I did that and some how (because I knew what I was going to put in chapter 4) I ended up skipping chapter 4 and writing chapter 5 and 6..._

_Except that I actually wrote chapter 6 and then 5. I wrote a really tiny intro for 6 (arriving at town) and then I decided after I finished writing 6 that I would elongate the intro, and thus chapter 5 was born._

_And then after I was doing all that...I noticed that I hadn't written chapter 4 yet...So that's why it took me so long to update, but I hope I made up for it by posting 3 chapters._

_**NEW NOTE (March 25, 2008): I just noticed that I typed her name up wrong D: and I fixed it ... So if any one saw the cares about the sudden change I apologize. **_

**_...And if anyone thinks the new spelling is odd, sorry but it's how I originally wanted it to be._**


	5. The Arrival

_Enjoy_

**Chapter 05 The Arrival**

They arrived at town the next day and decided that they were ahead of their schedule so they should rest and wait until the next day before they contacted their employer.

It was a beautiful day, which completely contrasted against the small nameless town. Nameless only because it was the only _real_ town around, so they just called it The Town. Sure there were other towns around, but this was the only town whose inhabitants were sane.

Or at least, mostly sane...

They checked into a hotel that seemed to be the safest and most sanitary as it could get.

Wolffé left soon after to "check out the town, mark some enemies, find some bounties, and buy food that isn't poisonous."

While Wolffé was a peaceful negotiator, (when she had the choice), she was always looking to make a quick coin here and there. "I have no problem dropping off someone alive, once they're there, they aren't my problem anymore. Besides, most bounties are of 'bad' people, and those are the ones I look up," she told him once.

So while she was off hunting, Van Helsing was left at the hotel to pace around. And now that he was in town and alone, he finally had the time to figure out exactly what his dreams were telling him.

But the dreams didn't really mean anything, they were just memories. Of course they meant he was finally starting to remember his past, but half of them were just him having random, casual conversations with a bunch of different people, but that didn't really tell him who he was. The only dream that ever got any clearer was the one with the ring but that didn't-

The ring.

Whose ring was it really?

It couldn't be Dracula's. The man in the dream was so different, he was kind and loving. Dracula was just some evil, snarky vampire, who would have said anything to throw him off.

But Dracula did say that he killed him, and that they had such a history...

'He was just messing with your mind,' he told himself.

_But he knew your name._

'I wouldn't be surprised, I did kill him after all.'

_Oh, so now you admit you killed him._

'No, I just meant that he thinks I killed him, so of course he would find out the name of his 'killer'."

_You do understand that, that didn't make much sense, right?_

Van Helsing couldn't find anything to say back that didn't sound like he was just whining, so he stayed silent.

_That's what I thought._

He decided to just lie on his bed and wait for either Wolffé to come back or for sleep to come to him.

Sleep came first though.

_A/N: K hope you liked it. _


	6. The Name

_Enjoy._

**Chapter 06 The Name**

"You never told me she knew," Vladislaus said.

He was staring at a girl who sat in one of the library's cushion chairs. She was reading some old Latin book.

"Well I didn't tell her," Gabriel said sheepishly.

They were all sitting down in a little study room in the back of an old library. The couple was sitting on a small couch.

Gabriel's arms were around his Vlad, holding him close while he nuzzled his neck.

"Are you made at me?" He asked.

"No, she obviously doesn't care and won't tell...But if you didn't tell her how did she find out?"

"I guessed," the girl interrupted, "It wasn't that hard either," she closed her book silently, put it in her lap and crossed her legs. "And _honestly_, I don't think you should be berating him about it, after all it was _you_ who gave off the biggest signs. Like when you aren't working, you're staring at him. _No blinking. Everyday_."

"Ha!" Gabriel laughed triumphantly.

"Don't you start either," her gazed started him down, "You're always looking for an excuse to go see him and when he's around you get..._Clingy_."

Vladislaus smirked at him.

"Oh, but of course, let us not forget the _Great Awards Ceremony incident_," the gaze shifted, "and don't _even_ try to tell me you weren't there to see him."

Vladislaus looked down, he was a bit embarrassed by his actions that night, but he was still quite happy about it's..._Results_.

"You'll never feel cold again, that's for sure..."

Oh, the many different meanings for that one sentence.

"Well that's good," Gabriel started, "next time they decide to send us to another ice wasteland, I get his coat."

She stared at him.

"_Oh whatever_, you're so random nowadays; by the way that was also another hint, your sudden mood change..." She sighed, "Well either way, your secret's safe with me but don't expect others to be so accepting...Take the Order for example, they don't exactly like any kind of relationship..." She got up to leave, returned her book to a shelf and headed for the door.

"You did that on purpose," Vladislaus whispered to Gabriel.

"She does have a short temper for that sort of thing."

Vladislaus laughed and brought his lover's chin up for a quick kiss.

He sat up straight suddenly, looking for the girl.

"Wait," he said.

The girl paused, hand on the door frame. She turned around slightly.

"Yes?"

"I could always ask Gabriel this, but I find it more polite to ask someone directly," Vladislaus started, "What's your name? I don't actually believe I've heard it before."

"My name?" She laughed, "Why, it's-"

"_Wake up, _Helsing."

'_Wha-'_

"Come on now. Get up, Helsing."

'_Damnit, what was her name?_'

"What'd you say, Helsing?"

"I said its _Van_ Hel..."

"Yes?..."

The color seemed to drain from his face.

"What's with the pauses, _Van _Helsing?"

_'Dracula...He was all over me...And I liked...It?...What's going on?'_

"Hello?" Wolffé raised an eyebrow, "Odd dream again, huh?"

"You could say that," he ran a hand over his face, "Ugh...Anyways, what is it?"

"The guy who made the call is here, I ran into him while I was out, so I just brought him back. He's gonna give us the info on the vamps we're gonna be dealin' with." Her hands were on her hips again.

"Okay I'll be out in a minute."

She left, closing the door silently behind her.

Van Helsing sat on the edge of the bed and put his face in his hands.

_'What is going on here?!'_

_A/N:Yea so I feel like I used a lot of emphases in the beginning. But I had fun with it, along with the Drabriel fluff._


	7. An Odd Man

**Chapter 07 An Odd Man**

"'Bout time Helsing," Wolffé muttered as Van Helsing walked out of the room.

She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, with her elbows on her knees, and her chin resting on the bridge made with her fingers. Considering that he didn't correct her on the use of his name, she could tell he was tired, and she was glad she left him the chair.

Van Helsing meanwhile, was quite grateful that she had saved him the only other seat in the room. He didn't feel like sitting on the floor, nor standing up the entire time.

"Thanks," he sighed, and sat in the chair.

She merely shrugged her shoulders.

The room they had rented wasn't necessarily crowded, but it wasn't spaceful either. Just very small with the bare necessities. It had a pathetic excuse for a lamp on a small stool on one side of the room, with a door on either side. One led to a washroom and the other to the bedroom. Other than that there was only the two chairs with an ancient table between them.

And that's where he and their client sat.

The other man looked like he was reaching the end of his forties, while his voice made him seem younger. His eyes gave the impression that he was scared or easily frightened. They seemed to have a habit of always jerking to the next position, never moving slowly. He also said 'you see' a lot, almost enough to be annoying.

But other than that, nothing else was very interesting about him. He had a wife and two kids, but his job made him travel around a lot, so he didn't see much of them.

Which kind of made sense.

"You see, this isn't my town. I'm just visiting for business, my job makes me travel around a lot...But then I heard that people were disappearing back home due to those-those-monsters!" He jumped at the last word, his eyes jerking back and forth between Van Helsing and Wolffé, who kept glancing at each other.

Wolffé had an eyebrow raised throughout the entire conversation, but now she dropped it and rolled her eyes, "So by 'monsters' you mean the vampires, right?"

"What's the difference?" Came his sharp reply, "They all need to be rid of."

"There's a difference," Van Helsing snapped.

_Whoa! What happened to running things past my mind before shooting them out of my mouth?!_

"...I must agree with my partner, there is a difference," Wolffé quickly jumped in to his rescue.

"Oh really," the man's eyes narrowed, "Care to elaborate?"

"Sure...Van Helsing, 'care to elaborate?'" She gave him an 'I tried' look.

He sighed in response, "Well...Monsters kill randomly, just for the fun of it. Vampires kill to survive, to keep on existing."

"Most vampires enjoy the hunt, that's what makes them monsters." A quick response.

"Are we any different?" It wasn't _really _a question, more of a statement.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Most other Hunters enjoy the hunt, too. They are just as blood thirsty!"

"...That's their job, you see-"The man could tell Van Helsing was agitated.

"Well it's _everyone's job _to survive! And you're no different either!"

"EXCUSE ME!"

"No doubt you eat meat. We kill animals everyday, to eat and for sport. Should they kill _us _like we kill _vampires_?!"

The man remained silent, looking over to Wolffé as if asking if the man fuming across from him was insane.

She just shrugged in response and looked over to her partner, "Short tempered today aren't we?"

"I didn't sleep well," He untensed and took a breath, "I'm sorry. Please continue."

"...Right well...It's my home town that needs the help... My wife and kids are over there, and I can't pay to get them over-"

"You mean to say you can pay for our traveling expenses, and our fee for taking out those vampires, but you can't pay to move your family out here?" Wolffé said incredulously.

"Well...No, you misunderstand...I couldn't pay my wife...To move out here...She hates me, you see..."

An awkward silence passed, until Wolffé cleared her throat.

"I see," She said finally.

"Yes, well...But if anything, it's for the kids, I don't want them to get hurt. So I would appreciate it if you choose to continue this job..." He drifted off at the end.

And Wolffé picked right back up, "We already took on the job, we're not about to abandon it."

Then he left.

Wolffé stood up and took the vacant chair, while Van Helsing mopped around in his.

"You alright?" She asked.

"Ha, no. I've felt weird all weak, probably all month." He sighed and leaned on the table, "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Hmm...Maybe your body's trying to tell you something."

"Hehe, _right_..." That definitely wasn't he wanted to hear.

Wolffé gave him an odd looked, but recognized his troubles.

"Was it just me or did he never tell us his real name," She asked, trying to change the subject for him, "The Order said ask for the guy working for N.E.I."

"He didn't, but he doesn't have to."

"Why?"

"What? Oh right, you haven't worked for us much, have you? They don't need to tell us their name just to keep their privacy."

"But what happens if we have to charge them for something? We won't have any info on them," She raised an eyebrow.

"The Order _has _the info, incase that happens. But whoever they send out to do the job doesn't need to know. We just take the job and get it done. No questions asked."

"Oh."

_A/N: Sorry it's been a long time since I last updated. I've had too many projects and shit to do. N.E.I. stands for The New Era of Interpreters, I just made it up._

_Bland chapter I know. Check for next update._


	8. Horribly Horrid

_Ok so, for those of you who are truly interested in this story you will be happy to know that I have written the basic outline for the rest of the story...Which, when translated, means I should be able to update faster than I have been recently, (Should the school allow me to)._

_Either way. On with __Prideful._

**Chapter 08 Horribly Horrid**

He was losing patience.

And it took all of his self-control to keep himself from just jumping out of his tree, running the length of the forest, going straight for Gabriel, and-

_No._

_No. No. No._

_I can't do that... Not until he knows the truth. _He laughed despite himself, _He'd think I was attacking him. He would try to kill... Kill... Me... Me..._

His head dropped low.

_Why, Gabriel?_

He seemed to shrink into himself, his head was in his hands.

_Why do you hate me, Gabriel?_

He slid out of his tree and onto the ground.

_Have I done something to you?... Are you mad at me?..._

With his back to the tree, he pulled his legs to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

_What did I do, Gabriel? What did I do that mad you mad at me?_

By now tears had left him.

_What can I do so you will forgive me?..._

Wind blew through the trees, and leaves fell to the ground around him.

Count Vladislaus Dracula was having a horrible night...

--

He had the dream again that day.

Just when he thought it couldn't get anymore vivid-It did. And it never left him alone.

He tried to tell himself it was just a bunch of dreams, that his mind was trying to make him a fake reality for his past, however odd it may sound. Or that someone was trying to curse him, make him lose his mind.

Unfortunately, it wasn't working. His body wouldn't accept his own lies.

And the more times he had the dreams, the more he began to believe them.

Well, he may have believed them, but he didn't know if he _wanted _them to be real or not. Whether he wanted to admit he had been _with him_...

So when he woke up that night, (They slept during the day and traveled at night so they could be awake to handle any creatures of the night, and increase the chance of Wolffé having the sight back in her bad eye.), and saw that Wolffé was already up and about, he decided to take a walk just to clear his head.

"Hey Wolffé?"

"Yer?" Came her southern-like drawl.

"I need to clear my head, I'll be back in a couple of minutes," He told her, walking out of the camp.

"'Kay, don't let the vamps bite ya on the way!" She laughed at his retreating back.

Van Helsing gave a soft smile, wishing he could have partnered up with her more often. Her humor helped ease the tension on the mission, making it more tolerable.

He walked on, not really caring if he made noise or not. Being stubborn in his current mood, he felt like he could take on anything. Hell even Dracula-

_...He just won't leave me alone, will he?_

He slowed his pace to that of which could have rivaled a turtle, until he stopped completely. Lifting his head, he gazed at the moon.

_How can I get you out of my mind? _He queried. Then out loud he asked no one in particular, "How can I escape you if you just keep coming back to haunt me?"

"Jus' kill 'em 'gain." A man's voice answered simply.

--

Pulling himself together enough to move around, Dracula continued his tracking of Gabriel. He knew that the little group had picked up the habit of sleeping during the day and traveling at night, which he was quite grateful for. And he knew that dawn would be breaking soon, so he wanted to know where they would be deciding to stop for the day. He wanted to find a nearby place that could protect him from the sun while he watched over his Gabriel.

And watch over him he did.

But that night when Gabriel walked out of the camp with a quick word to Seryba, or Wolffé as Gabriel called her, he started to worry. The forest wasn't thick enough in the area that he was going. So it would be hard for him to hide from the fully trained hunter. Of course, normally it would be so hard of a feat to accomplish, but he was tired and weak, and not in the mood for some serious spying.

But even so, Dracula had a bad feeling about tonight.

...Especially when he saw a figure approaching his Gabriel from the shadows...

--

Back at camp, Wolffé wasn't feeling too good about it either. She kept glancing over her shoulder in the direction that Van Helsing had gone, getting nervous: She had her eyesight back in her bad eye, and with it, she could see some large amounts of magical residue.

Which could mean many things: Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, Wizards...Or Fairies.

She was hoping for the latter, but she knew it wasn't.

With one last unnerved stare down the path he had taken, she grabbed two silver daggers that could make quick work of any of them, if she couldn't talk it out first, that is. The she set off down the trail.

Once she finally found him though, she nearly dropped the daggers on her own feet in surprise.

Horrid surprise.

--

Grabbing at the gun at his waist, he-

Or rather, the non-existent gun at his waist.

"Shit," he cursed, remembering he hadn't taken any weapons with him as he left the camp, as he was feeling 'superior' in his mood.

But still, he normally slept with some kind of weapon on him. Of course, that was until he had started traveling with Wolffé. When he was with her, for some reason he hadn't felt the need to.

"Oh, look at you, weaponless, defenseless... Hmm, I was hoping for more of a challenge, but I guess you can't always get want you want, right?"

A young man stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight.

He looked handsome and had eyes that defined him as the Wild Type. With jet black hair and two blood red streaks in the front that framed his sharp-featured face, he appeared to be the sexual, mysterious type. The kind girls would easily fawn over.

He smiled sensually, "We meet again, eh?" He tilted his head, closing and opening his eyes slowly in a sexual manner, "I missed you, Gabriel..."

"You know my name, too," Van Helsing responded softly.

"Hehe, indeed, I do... Oh, you don't remember me, do you?"

Getting no response, he laughed.

"Oh well, that's too bad," and with that he grinned fiercely.

...Revealing two sharply sculpted fangs.

That was the only warning Van Helsing got-before the vampire leaped for his throat!

_A/N: Oh poor Dracula, so neglected. I'll have you know I had fun writing this. Oh and by the way, am I the only one who envisions a chibi Dracula when he's all sad and depressed? (And I know it seems out-of-character, but he just misses his Gabriel T-T). I want to hug him._

_Hope you likey._


	9. Flee The Forest

_No chibis? Awww. Well ok, this chapter's a tad long but I wrote it in Chemistry and became quite happy about it. So I hope you enjoy._

**Chapter 09 Flee The Forest**

There was a startled cry next to him, something like a choking sound.

Distracted, Van Helsing turned his head a fraction.

He saw Wolffé, her face was a mixture of horror and sadness.

The last thing he noticed before he was shoved to the ground, was that she wasn't moving to help him.

And it didn't look like she would be.

He hit the forest floor hard, the breath was knocked out of him, leaving him stunned and dazed.

He heard dark laughter and found himself pinned to the ground. His arms were held above his head and his legs were pinned by his attacker's.

It must have been uncomfortable for his assailant, but it was clearly effective.

The man licked his neck.

Then fangs pierced his throat...

And Van Helsing woke from his stupor.

He started to struggle, but the vampire was to strong. He paused and with a quick glance, noted the ever-still Wolffé.

She was hunched over on all fours. Shaking severely. Her nails were clawing at the ground. She was muttering, "No...No...It can't...Be..."

When Van Helsing heard her he became slightly confused.

But one thing was certain in his mind:

He was alone, she couldn't help him.

He struggled more, wiggling and thrashing violently. But nothing would shake the vampire. He was latched heavily onto his throat.

Van Helsing could hear him sucking his blood, it was slightly disturbing. But even so, he knew that the man was trying to make it as dramatic and as mocking as possible.

He could feel the blood leaving him, and his consciousness with it.

He didn't have much time. He had to work now...

So he did the only thing he think of-

He bent his head and bit the vampire's shoulder with all the strength he could muster.

The vampire grunted, stopped sucking his blood and looked up. His eyes were filled with amusement and one of his eyebrows was raised.

"What was that for Gabriel?" He asked innocently, as he freed a hand to touch his shoulder tenderly.

He faked hurt, "You're mean... You hurt me..."

Then he laughed demonically, "You're real pathetic Gabriel, _really _pathet-"

He got cut off as he was jerked off of Van Helsing and slammed painfully into a thick tree trunk.

A new shadow had entered game.

-

Her memories resurfaced painfully. It wasn't that she had forgotten them but rather she had _tried_ to.

But they came back anyways.

And they caused her agony.

"_Get out of here! Hurry, you have to warn the others!"_

"_I'm not leaving you here!" She yelled back._

"_There's no time! You have to tell them! Run now!"_

_And run she did, the fastest she had ever run. _

_With tears streaming down her face, she warned everyone of an ambush._

_Most got out in time._

_But he didn't._

_She stood at the edge of the field. All was quiet now. A rescue team filed out around her, looking for any survivors._

_She was looking only for one._

_The enemies had come in numbers far greater than theirs, and had wiped out every one of them._

_But her._

_Which she was ashamed for. Not being able to die with your comrades was one of the greatest shames that could ever happen._

_When all had seemed to be failing, he told her to warn everyone, that he would be a distraction..._

_More like a sacrifice._

_She walked farther out onto the field, ignoring all and looking only for him. She would search all night and a good bit into the morning._

_But she would never find him..._

Yet here he was.

Drinking from her friend.

_Drinking._

She knew she had to help Van Helsing.

She knew she had to get up.

So she stood up on unsteady legs and took a step.

And fell right back down to her knees. She threw her hands out in front of her to stop herself from falling forward, face-first into the ground.

But she couldn't stand, she felt lost and weak. There was no strength to move.

And no strength to help him.

_I'm sorry...Gabriel..._

The moon sheltered behind the clouds, and darkness enveloped them all.

-

Van Helsing was slightly aware that it had gotten darker, but his attention was more on his rescuer. By shifting his head painfully, he could see that it wasn't Wolffé.

She was still on the ground shaking. She looked like she had moved an inch or two, but none the less, she was over there.

Not over _there_ wrestling his attacker...

It was too dark to see what was really going on, but from what he could tell, the new guy was wining. At least he thought it was the new guy.

His foe had seemed slightly smaller than his savior, and that was all he had to go by.

The bigger shadow figure had the other around the throat and was throwing him around. The other made small grunts and whimpers every time he hit the ground or when he was thrown at a tree.  
Eventually he was thrown farther away from them.

He yelped as he hit the ground, and he lied there, gasping.

The moon reappeared, shedding its white light on them all.

The man on the ground was definitely the vampire that had attacked him.

Van Helsing could see that he held a hand to his side, covering a gash that had bled through his clothes, he was giving a heated glare at the new guy.

With a snarl, he got up and ran deeper into the forest, disappearing from view...

Van Helsing was getting dizzy, he was feeling the side effects of blood loss. He could also feel blood flowing down his neck onto his chest and back.

But his attention was more on his rescuer, whose back was facing him.

"Who...Who are you?" He asked weakly.

The man flinched, but did not move.

"Who are you?" Van Helsing said louder, "Turn around, I want to know who you are."

The man turned slowly around.

The moonlight fell on his face.

"No you don't..." The man said softly, the accent was thick and unmistakable.

"Dracula..." Van Helsing whispered, disbelief was written all over his face.

The vampire stood there looking at him blankly.

He opened his mouth as if to speak more, and his fangs flashed in the moonlight.

And Van Helsing's eyes snapped straight to them. They had no doubt appeared at the sight and smell of blood.

Dracula noticed, and he closed his mouth. He took one last look at him.

Then he, too, fled from the forest.

And Van Helsing succumbed to darkness.

_A/N: I really hate any sort of fight scene...They're really hard to write out... Either way I hope you liked it, oh and I didn't have time to proof read it to much but if I notice any glaring mistakes I will have them fixed by tomorrow! _

_W.S.K._


	10. Vampire's Blush, Vampire's Envy

_(Quick Note): So this hasn't been completely checked over yet, so beware of possibly glaring mistakes, I'm working on it..._

_I know, I know, it took so long to update...BUT I have a good reason for why it took so long. Read at end of chapter or in my bio as for why people HATE me!!_

**Chapter 10 Vampire's Blush, Vampire's Envy**

Van Helsing woke to the smell of cooking meat. Probably leftovers but he wasn't about to complain, he was starving.

He breathed the scent in deeply and opened his eyes to the sight of treetops framing the night sky. Attempting to sit up, pain flared up his spine, coursing through his body. He slowly lowered himself back to the ground with a groan and closed his eyes. Faintly he became aware of a dull throbbing in his neck.

Someone shifted over to him.

"Hey, no sudden movements, you'll regret it..."

A hand was placed on his chest lightly to stop him from trying to move again.

"It wasn't sudden," he ground out.

Chuckling, "Then don't move at all."

"I'd prefer to be sitting up," Van Helsing realized that it wasn't a voice he recognized.

"Well, alright. But let me help you."

He opened his eyes a blinked. A man was helping him prop up against a tree. Once there, he got a better look at him.

He looked very young, maybe late teens or early twenties, and seemed to be constantly grinning. His black hair was spiked forward, letting you have the full affect of his bright, blue, jewel-like eyes.

A single glance could leave you entranced.

The pale skin didn't help much either, it just made them look brighter.

"Hi! I'm Cobalt!" Still grinning.

He had a fancy look about him, too, and Van Helsing decided he looked like a nice guy.

Until one more thing registered in his mind.

He had fangs.

He was a vampire.

Van Helsing flinched away, "Vampire," he growled. He regretted it though, both from the pain shooting up his back from the sudden movement and from the look on the guy's face. Even though one had just bit him yesterday, it wasn't that he had a serious problem with vampires, hell, he just defended them the other day, but still, he didn't like them so near him.

But he really did regret it.

Cobalt looked crestfallen.

He had jumped back slightly and landed on his butt, his head hung slightly.

"I know...You hate me, right?" He looked like an abused child that had just been slapped by his mother as he retreated over to Wolffé.

"Should I leave?" He asked quietly.

She said nothing and continued to prod at the meat.

"Wolffé?"

Prod.

"Wolffé?" He crouched down and shook her slightly.

"Huh?"

"Should I leave?"

"Why?" She sounded tired.

"He saw my fangs and kinda freaked out..."

"What, didya forget he was jus' bitten yesterday?"

"With the smell of blood everywhere? It's hard to forget."

She snorted, "Besides, that's what you get for smilin' all the time."

"You should try it sometime..." He muttered.

She caught that, "Ass." Was all she said before she shoved him playfully making him lose his balance and fall over...Again.

He yelped as he fell, "That's mean."

"I know."

Cobalt nudged, "So about me leaving..."

"No, stay here, I need help finding the town."

"You're a wanderer, you know the area, why can't you do it?" He said incredulously.

"I can't," she said bluntly, "I lost where we were goin' when we ran from that vamp."

Cobalt went wide-eyed, started giggling like a little kid, and then stood up eccentrically, hands on his hips. "The Great Wolffé, Legendary Tracker, needs my _lowly_ help to get through the forest of her own childhood?" He feigned a look of surprise.

Wolffé gave him a good kick in the shin. "I barely lived here a year, thank you very much!"

"Oof," he fell with a grunt but gave another childish giggle, "It's the end of the world!"

"Hush!" She glared at him.

"But I don't want to," he whined, "Hey are you embarrassed?!"

"No. Now shut up."

He continued his giggling.

Suddenly, he flipped over backwards, landing in a crouch position.

Before him, a knife stuck out of the soft dirt.

"Hey that's dangerous!" He cried out.

"_Oh, whatever! _Yer a vampire, it ain't gonna kill ya-," She picked up another knife, "Now, start runnin'!"

And he did. "Hey, hey, hey, come on, not fair-not fair!"

Yet he was still giggling, fueling Wolffé's annoyance.

Van Helsing sat off to the side choking down laughter. It was just _funny_! Cobalt merely leaped around- laughing guy-like for once- Dodging Wolffé's knife swings, and then giggling as she missed.

The bystander may have held laughter, but he could not suppress a smile. And letting just that small action occur helped ease the pain that threatened to escape in his chest if he were to break out in a fit of laughter.

Cobalt continued to run around glancing over his shoulder every now and then, watching Wolffé run after him.

She was in hot pursuit, the cooking meat completely forgotten. But suddenly she stopped swiftly and took aim.

Van Helsing's eyes widened in surprise, he hadn't expected her to be that drastic, and it was quite dangerous considering she had a very good aim.

_Shit._

Cobalt hadn't looked back to see her, so Van Helsing set his jaw and yelled out to him.

"Cobalt! Watch it!"

"Huh?" The vampire said, turning slightly around before throwing himself to the ground with his hands on his head.

A dull thud echoed behind him.

Lifting his head slowly, the young vampire made sure that she was unarmed and then glanced behind him.

To be greeted to the sight of a dull kitchen knife sticking a good three or so inches into the hard bark of the tree.

He looked back and met Van Helsing's eyes.

"Hehe, uh thanks Gabriel. That would've been painful..."

_Did he just call me Gabriel? What's with all of these vampires?_

"Too bad it wasn't" Wolffé muttered darkly as she leapt straight at him.

Cobalt hit the ground, flat on his back, with enough force to have knocked a human unconscious, not that he was human. He blinked; he had been completely unprepared for such direct measures. They began to wrestle on the ground, dirt clung to their clothes as they rolled in it. Yelps and whimpers could be heard, most likely from Cobalt, as growls and evil laughs rang out, courtesy of Wolffé.

It was here that Van Helsing got over the man calling him Gabriel and finally broke into the fore mentioned suppressed laughter. He grabbed at his chest as pain racked through his lungs with the effort.

Wolffé and Cobalt halted all current activities, and stayed absolutely still. Wolffé was pinned to the ground by Cobalt, who was straddling her hips with his hands on her shoulders effectively holding her down, Wolffé's hands were about his neck. They watched him blankly,

Slowly, but surely, he calmed down.

Unfortunately another glance at the position they had slipped into _now_, started him back up again.

The other two looked back at each other in confusion, before suddenly realizing the problem.

Cobalt had tried to sit up more straight, which allowed his hands to slide down, _directly_,onto the boobage...

And most girls, like Wolffé, don't like random hands on their boobs.

He gave the closest thing to a vampire's blush, while Wolffé gave him Death's own glare.

"PERVERT!!" She yelled as she shot up and shoved him off.

He skidded a couple of feet on his arse, "Ow... Hey if I didn't have pants on, that would have shredded my-"

"Oh don't even-In the position you were just in, yer lucky to have yer hands, let alone yer _life_!"

He looked up in disbelief, "I'm sorry, but it's not like I was trying to-."

But she had already walked away from him to retrieve the two knives. "Don't care," was all she said.

Van Helsing saw the trouble brewing and tried to change the subject, "Uh, Wolffé? The food..."

She ran quickly over, "Oh, right," just in time to salvage the nearly burning meat, and place some on two different plates. Deciding to ignore the vampire, she grabbed them and plopped down next to him, "Good eye, Helsing, or _eyes_ in your case." She joked.

"_Van _Helsing," he smiled lightly at their game and chuckled at the joke. When she handed him a plate he took it gratefully, "Thanks."

"Sure."

"Hey wait," Cobalt tried to edge over to them, still fearful of Wolffé's temper, "Isn't it Gabriel?"

'Gabriel' narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "Where _did_ you hear that?"

"A-a friend of mine," came the nervous reply.

"...Well it's right, I just go by Van Helsing most of the time now."

"Oh," the vampire tried to move closer to them.

But Wolffé threatened with the knives. "Whoa, over there ya lil' pervert. I'm still pissed off."

He dropped his head but obeyed her order.

She just rolled his eyes at him, "Seriously..."

They ate in silence, noticing Cobalt and his puppy-like eyes, practically begging them to let him back over. He had tried to inch inconspicuously over-but to no avail. Wolffé threw a knife right into the dirt before him, stopping him immediately. He sadly plucked the knife out and began to twirl it between slender fingers, giving them the 'eyes' again.

Van Helsing found himself to be a main target to the tearful eyes and the sad sniffing. Eventually he sighed and gave a gesture with a jerk of his head (much to his neck's displeasure) for him to come over. Then he patted the ground next to him, letting the vampire know that it was probably best that he stayed away from the 'nice' lady currently giving him an evil glare.

Cobalt perked up and a smile lit his face as he bounded over to Van Helsing, laying the knife at the man's feet as if an offering. Then he took a seat next to him.

Van Helsing found something odd about the way he sat, it was just so...so-

Pet-like...Very odd.

He kept his knees up near his shoulders as he leaned forward with his hands on the ground near his feet, still smiling his endless smile.

He was too caught up in the odd sight that he didn't feel the hand pawing at his leg. Pawing was the only word to describe it...

"Thanks," still grinning, "You know, for warning me of the incoming projectile, and I'm sorry for scaring you earlier, I guess I wasn't really thinking..."

"It's ok," It was just unnerving how the vampire could _keep_ smiling all the time, and it wasn't even a big smile. Just a small slight upturn of the corners of his mouth. But still...

Van Helsing tried to break the awkwardness that had settled on them, not to mention the unnerving smile. At least when the vampire was talking it was _as _evident that he was smiling.

"So... Why did you call Wolffé the 'Legendary Tracker' earlier?"

Wolffé could be heard groaning as she lade back and rolled over so that her back faced them, "No, not this again..."

Cobalt gave a laugh before launching into a story about Wolffé's past life...

Laughing at all the right parts and even giving the vampire a nudge every now and then ("No way, she didn't!"), Van Helsing felt glad he had met this guy, he was kind and funny. Not your typical 'evil' vampire. And the deeper they got into conversation about themselves, the more he felt like he had always known him, and even odder, the more he thought-

_It's so easy to talk to him..._

_--_

_Meanwhile..._

A lonely onlooker sat perched on a branch, hidden safely in the shadow of the leaves. He watched silently as the young vampire came happily over to Gabriel's side, chatting animatedly with him.

The sudden surge of jealously took over his mind. How he _envied _the vampire's ability to be so close to _his _Gabriel, to be able to see Gabriel's face as he laughed.

His cold unbeating heart panged with sorrow...

He gave a quiet yet heavy sigh.

And the girl's-

_No, Seryba, _he corrected himself, _Seryba..._

Seyba's head lifted suddenly off the ground. Her eye stared relentlessly into his, as she propped herself up on an arm.

She smirked and he grimaced, _damn her_, but even so he peered closely- she was saying something.

He hesitated slightly, but nodded his head in acknowledgment.

_Thank you Vladislaus_, She had mouthed silently, _Thank you for your help yesterday..._

**A/N: No Cobalt!! Get away from Gabriel! Hehe, bad Cobalt. Anyways, this isn't a filler chapter or anything, Cobalt has his purpose if you haven't already noticed...**

**Ok so the whole explanation on why this took so long (If you haven't read my profile update) is, well, to put it bluntly- someone STOLE!! Two chapters of my fic. This one and next chapter! So I was totally turned off from writing and only just finished writing it maybe 5 days ago. But I still have to write next chapter... Don't hate me.**

_W.S.K._


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